Perkins 6.354 Serpentine Belt Upgrade Experience

[Gdavid]

This is a very specific question but has anyone here retrofitted a perkins 6.354 to use a multi-groove/serpentine style water pump and alternator drive belt?

I'm looking at the balmar AltMount Pulley Kit: 48-PSP-6354 but can't find a picture of an installed unit, their instruction manual shows the install on a yanmar engine but I'm not sure how it installs on the perkins, whether it bolts onto the front of the harmonic damper or whether it replaces the v-belt pulleys that are aft of the balancer. I left a message with balmar's tech department but figured I would check here if anyone has first hand experience. Thank you.

 

[sunchaser]

GD
Contact Flywright, he did it on his 4 cylinder Perkins as best I recall and was quite happy with the result.

 

[Gdavid]

GD
Contact Flywright, he did it on his 4 cylinder Perkins as best I recall and was quite happy with the result.

Perfect, thanks

 

[FlyWright]

I installed a Balmar 621 120A alternator on my stbd Perkins 4.236 engine. I didn't want to mess with the complexity of changing pulleys and elected to derate my alternator through regulator programming to 100A and was able to stay with a single 1/2 alternator belt on the original pulleys.

In real life use when I combine multiple charging sources (solar, stbd and port alternators, generator), my 660AH lead-acid golf cart battery house bank can only take high charges over 100A for a short period of about 20-30 mins before the battery acceptance rate diminishes to under 100A. I have never felt I lacked adequate charging capability with the derated 20A.

Sorry I can't help with the OP's Q re: serpentine belts and pulley, but I hope this helps.

 

[Gdavid]

Thanks for following up, hopefully I'll hear back from Balmar, most likely I'll just go the same route that you did and stay within the limits of a single 1/2" belt.

 

[Larry M]

Maybe try calling Trans Atlantic Diesel. They sell Balmar kits for some Perkins but not for your engine. Please post what you find out.

https://www.tadiesels.com/balmar-alternators.html

 

[mvweebles]

I did a serpentine belt kit from TAD on my 4.236. Easy. Give them a call. Balmar is decent, but this is better with someone who knows your engine. Nobody better than TAD.

Peter

 

[Gdavid]

I should have thought of TAD, they are very responsive but I forgot the offered such kits. Thanks.

 

[artfulltune]

I'm 2 "doors" down from Graceland & just got thru with batteries & alternator conversions. I had the Delco replaced on the port side with a single pulley 621 Balmer. I believe it's 100 amp using the existing belt.

 

[Gdavid]

I'm 2 "doors" down from Graceland & just got thru with batteries & alternator conversions. I had the Delco replaced on the port side with a single pulley 621 Balmer. I believe it's 100 amp using the existing belt.

Thanks for chiming in and I just noticed last week that you are on this site.

As you can tell, I have plenty of projects to complete on my boat, trying to focus on safety and mechanical systems and move on the the aesthetics before my frumpy old boat offends anyone.